When making hard choices, fall on the side of freedom

Published: Wednesday, December 26, 2012 at 08:00 AM.

Motorcyclists have the freedom to ride without helmets in Florida and many other states. It’s the freedom to “feel the air in your hair” as you ride down the road. This despite the proven safety value that helmets provide in the unlikely event of a crash. Many hundreds die because they are not wearing helmets.

Now we come to the easy target. It is true that guns are everywhere. Even though the vast majority of gun owners are responsible, there are those few irresponsible parents who might leave a gun lying on a nightstand for a child to pick up and unknowingly discharge. Many children and adults die each year from “accidental” gunshots, not to mention gang and family disputes that turn ugly. Guns are very easy to blame — politicians and pundits are so good at public indignation. New York City Mayor Bloomberg, in and interview with Scott Pelley of CBS News this week, was almost frothing at the month. To paraphrase, we should remove guns from society, including the criminals. Yeah, that will happen.

So, we are the freest country in the world with the most gun violence of any developed society. Last week was as sad a week for America as could possibly be imagined, and all decent people are shaken by such an evil and senseless tragedy.

It is a matter of choice, and it is not easy, but I fall on the side of freedom. Many people would like to pick and choose and would be willing to give up one or more of their freedoms, but it doesn’t work that way. Give up one and you jeopardize them all.

PANAMA CITY
Our military who fight in foreign wars are not the only ones who must sacrifice for our many freedoms. As we saw recently, even our smallest and most vulnerable citizens are taken to give us the freedoms we enjoy.

We are freer than any other country in the world, and we now need to weigh the price we pay for that freedom and decide as a country what is more valuable. It is not an easy choice when we hear of the recent sad and unthinkable results from having these freedoms.

We have the right to produce and watch violent video games and movies. These impact a very small number of people, usually children, by desensitizing them to the horrors of killing. Should we take this right away from the vast majority of people who are not negatively impacted? I am sure the video game producers and enthusiast would not want to lose this right.

Anyone can have a child in or out of wedlock without adequate financial and emotional resources to give him a nurturing and loving upbringing. Should we limit those who don’t have the financial resources and common sense to control themselves in a free society? This generates thousands of children who go on to join gangs or to commit crimes and murders. The government could make birth control mandatory until you prove you can be a responsible parent. I don’t see that going anywhere.

We are very protective of our right to maintain privacy, especially about our health records. If we had more-open access to the records of people who have some sort of mental abnormality, maybe we could put those folks into the appropriate programs, by force if necessary. I suspect this would go far in identifying sociopathic tendencies, but doctor-patient confidentiality may put this out of reach.

We are free to consume alcohol even though a minority of people can’t stop drinking, and then get into cars and kill thousands of people every year. This occurs despite very strict DUI laws and massive publicity. Should we ban alcohol? Oh, wait, we tried that already.

Motorcyclists have the freedom to ride without helmets in Florida and many other states. It’s the freedom to “feel the air in your hair” as you ride down the road. This despite the proven safety value that helmets provide in the unlikely event of a crash. Many hundreds die because they are not wearing helmets.

Now we come to the easy target. It is true that guns are everywhere. Even though the vast majority of gun owners are responsible, there are those few irresponsible parents who might leave a gun lying on a nightstand for a child to pick up and unknowingly discharge. Many children and adults die each year from “accidental” gunshots, not to mention gang and family disputes that turn ugly. Guns are very easy to blame — politicians and pundits are so good at public indignation. New York City Mayor Bloomberg, in and interview with Scott Pelley of CBS News this week, was almost frothing at the month. To paraphrase, we should remove guns from society, including the criminals. Yeah, that will happen.

So, we are the freest country in the world with the most gun violence of any developed society. Last week was as sad a week for America as could possibly be imagined, and all decent people are shaken by such an evil and senseless tragedy.

It is a matter of choice, and it is not easy, but I fall on the side of freedom. Many people would like to pick and choose and would be willing to give up one or more of their freedoms, but it doesn’t work that way. Give up one and you jeopardize them all.